Dark Wanderer
by Mika Saito
Summary: IN PROGRESS Kagome has left, taking the jewel shards with her, and no one knows why. She's left no clues, and no explaination. How will Inuyasha react? Will they find her before she does something drastic?
1. Prologue

_AN: Well, if you've read this before then what I'm about to say should be obvious. I'm making some changes to this story. I went back a re-read what I'd written, and didn't like it (plus I couldn't remember where I was taking the story) so here is the (hopefully) improved version of Dark Wanderer._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha_

_Dark Wanderer_

* * *

_The figure slipped silently out of the hut and down the shadowy path._

_Silent._

_She must remain silent if her plan was going to work. A twig cracked somewhere in the darkness and she froze. Sending out her energy, she found that everyone was where she left them. No one was near._

_Releasing the breath she had been holding she started down the path once more._

_Inuyasha would kill her if he caught her. She stopped at the sudden thought, and turned back towards the hut._

"_Inuyasha…" Her hand flew to her neck and the incomplete jewel, which hung around it._

_No! I must do this! She corrected herself and without further thought continued down the path at a run, staying as silent as she could._


	2. Easier to Run

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, or the song Easier to Run._

_**Dark Wanderer**_

_By: Mika Saito_

_Chapter 1- Easier to Run_

_

* * *

_

_It's easier to run  
Replacing this pain with something numb  
It's so much easier to go  
Than face all this pain here all alone_

_Easier to Run by Linkin Park_

* * *

Kagome sighed tiredly as she lowered herself to sit on a rock by the stream. She'd spent the better part of a day running endlessly through the woods, trying to put as much distance between her and Inuyasha as she possibly could. If it wasn't enough then she'd be caught and forced back into the group- though they'd never find out why she'd ran in the first place, she wouldn't, no that wasn't right, she _couldn't _give them that. 

Idly her eyes wandered around the small clearing that she'd stopped in. The stream she currently sat next to cut it right down the middle. The stream was deep, she could tell, deep and fast, not to mention wide enough that no human could make it across without stepping foot in the water. Stepping into the water would be a bad thing if one didn't know how to swim. Probably wouldn't matter even if you did, from the look of the rushing water.

"I wonder what Inuyasha's reaction was…." Kagome mused, chocolate colored eyes gazing unseeingly at the grass by her feet.

* * *

"Kagome? …..Kagome? …….. KAGOME!" Inuyasha yelled, eyes furious, as he looked under everything in Kaede's hut in attempt to find the missing miko.

"She's not here, Inuyasha," Shippou said mournfully.

"What do you mean not here?" Inuyasha growled, grabbing Shippou by the back of his neck.

"I mean she left in the middle of the night, baka," Shippou growled back angrily. The little kitsune cowered when Inuyasha glowered at him in response.

"What was that wench thinking!?" Inuyasha grumbled to himself as he stormed angrily out of Kaede's hut, carelessly tossing Shippou head first into the wall.

"I wonder why Kagome left…" he mused quietly, rubbing his sore head.

"I don't know Shippou… I don't know…" Miroku answered, a worried look on his face.

"She'll be back. She probably just went home for a little while. Her fight with Inuyasha was pretty bad last time, and she was still fuming over it last night…."

"Maybe," Miroku shrugged, "but something tells me that isn't it…"

"What do you mean?" Sango looked at him, eyes starting to show her worry.

"Look," he pointed to the corner. Kagome's big backpack sat there, as it had the day before. It hadn't even been opened since Kagome had gotten back. "She set it there, and didn't touch it at all before we all went to bed. She must have had this planned, whatever this is."

Sango felt the weight of his words on her heart. Kagome wasn't coming right back, as she had wanted to believe. The truth in Miroku's words struck her hard, bringing up another important fact that she had chosen to overlook before. Kagome had left in the middle of the night- she'd had plenty of time to run home for something she might have forgotten, plenty of time to return no matter what it was she had left to do. Something had driven her to leave them.

"…. Uh… Miroku, Sango… we have another problem…" Shippou broke the silence hesitantly. While Miroku and Sango had been thinking things over he had dived into Kagome's backpack, looking for some clue as to when she'd be back, if ever.

"What is it Shippou?" Sango walked over to the bag and knelt next to it.

"The Jewel shards… Kagome took them," he opened his hand, palm up, for them to see what he'd found. In his palm lay the little glass bottle Kagome had taken to keeping the shards in.

"Inuyasha isn't going to like this," Miroku stated, eyes pensive.

* * *

_AN: Okay. I know it's kinda short... but it's the first step to getting it on track again (and I'm running out of time to write for the day, and if I don't post this now I wont ever post it...) So let me know what you think. If you see any errors please point them out (this was written in 45 minutes, with no editing as of yet.) I think I might find a beta for this story, so if anyone wants to volunteer just let me know, it'd be very much appreciated..._


	3. Nerve

_Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Or the song_

_**Dark Wanderer**_

_By: Mika Saito_

_Chapter 2- Nerve

* * *

_

_Walk straight, for a final solution._

_Walk straight, don't you be so cold._

_Walk straight, with a clear resolution._

_I'll state my case and never turn._

_Nerve by: Soilwork

* * *

_

Kagome closed her eyes. She could almost see what Inuyasha's reaction would have been. He'd be pissed, without a doubt. If he wasn't angry with her for disappearing then he'd be angry with her for taking the jewel shards with her.

A pissed of Inuyasha. That was something she saw almost everyday it seemed. That wasn't the side of him she wanted to see. No one wants to see the one they love being angry, especially not when it's directed at ones self.

Sighing she stood up. She'd wasted too much time just sitting there staring at the grass. With each passing moment Inuyasha could be growing closer. The thought sent a thrill of happiness through Kagome's body. She quickly suppressed it. Even if she was in love with him, he wasn't in love with her. He was too busy being in love with a corpse to even see her, let alone reciprocate her feelings.

"Enough of that," she chided herself, stretching her sore muscles. A couple hours spent doing nothing but running was hard on an unfit body. Good thing she'd been working on that for the past few months. It hadn't affected her as much as she thought it would have.

* * *

"I'm going to get that wench!" Inuyasha growled, clenching his fists.

"Calm down, Inuyasha. I'm sure Kagome has a good reason," Miroku said placidly, attempting to calm the hanyou down.

"I don't care! Those are my Jewel shards!" The silver haired hanyou yelled in response before storming out of the room.

"Should we go after Kagome?" Shippou questioned worriedly.

"I don't know Shippou. We don't know why Kagome left in the first place… she might have done it just to get away from us…" Sango replied sadly.

"But… she wouldn't do that… would she?" The young fox demon asked, tears already sliding down his cheeks.

"I don't know Shippou," was her response.

* * *

Kagome sighed as she darted behind another tree, attempting to stay hidden. Claws ripped through the tree.

"Dammit," she muttered under her breath, ducking to avoid a rather large splinter from the tree.

"The Jewel shards! Give them to me!" The demon roared, his gnarly, ugly hand reaching out as if he expected Kagome to hand them over without question.

"No!" She growled, throwing herself behind another tree. The demon let out an angry roar, easily knocking down the tree Kagome had ducked behind. Kagome stood behind it, bow and arrow held in hand- the arrow already notched and ready to fly.

"I don't need… Inuyasha's protection!" She yelled, releasing the arrow.

The demon fell with a deafening thud.

* * *

"Did you hear that?" Sango asked, body tensing at the familiar sound of a demon nearby.

"Yeah," Inuyasha agreed, drawing his sword. "Let's go."

Kirara transformed into her larger form as Inuyasha took off running. Sango, Miroku, and Shippou climbed onto her back and followed Inuyasha's retreating form.

The group burst through the last row of trees into a clearing. A demon lay dead in the middle of the clearing, an arrow sticking out of its throat.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha gasped, finally picking up on the other scent that clung to the area.

"What!?" Miroku asked, surprised.

"Kagome was just here…" Inuyasha murmured.

"What direction did she go in?" Sango asked, jumping onto Kirara's back.

Inuyasha sniffed around a moment, covering the circumference of the clearing before answering.

"West," he sniffed again, "she's gone to the west from here," he growled. The moment the words were out of his mouth he took off running, tearing through the trees in a westerly direction without waiting for everyone else.

"Kirara!" Sango called as Miroku and Shippou jumped on Kirara's back behind her. Kirara growled and surged forward, using her powerful muscles to charge after Inuyasha.

"KAGOME!!" Inuyasha yelled as he ran through the trees, desperately trying to catch up to the fleeing Miko. He couldn't see her yet, but he could smell her- he was slowly catching up.

* * *

_Damn it!_ Kagome cursed silently at herself as she darted through the trees, trying to increase the distance between her and Inuyasha. The demon had chased her, continually pushing her closer to Kaede's village without her realizing it- she'd been too focused on staying uninjured.

"KAGOME!" Inuyasha's yell reached her ears. Still faint- but slowly getting louder.

_Damn it! I gotta get away somehow…. But how? _She looked around as she ran, anxiously trying to find some escape. None. She saw nothing.

"Kagome…. What are you doing here?" Kouga's voice cut into her hurried thoughts.

"Kouga!" _My savior, _the faint thought drifted through her mind before she could stop it. _I'm not some damsel in distress, _she chided herself. _He can help me though…_ she grinned at the wolf demon who was keeping pace with her. "You think you could help a lady out?" She asked.

"Depends… help with what?" He looked a little shocked.

"I'm trying to get away from Inuyasha… but obviously he's faster than I am," she motioned with her hands. "You think you could help me get away?"

"Heh, if it involves getting back at that mutt, then hell yeah I'll help!" Kouga grinned, fangs flashing at her. Without a warning he scooped her up in his arms, cradling her against his chest, and took off running. With the use of his speed Kagome got away from Inuyasha with ease.

* * *

"Thank you, Kouga," Kagome grinned thankfully at the wolf demon as she dusted herself off.

"No problem. I'd do anything for you Kagome… you are my woman," he looped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

"Kouga," Kagome growled, "let me go! I'm not your property!" She clawed him across the cheek, drawing blood.

Kouga was silent, shocked. His hand drifted up to his cheek, feeling the warm blood sliding down his skin.

"You love Inuyasha, don't you?" Kouga asked suddenly, looking sad.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Kagome asked sarcastically, having not looked at him. When she looked at him she sighed.

"I don't love him, Kouga, and even if I did he's in love with Kikyou," he looked at her, a hopeful look in his eyes. "I don't love you either though. I'm not in love with anyone," she insisted.

"I see," he sounded sad. "I'll still protect you, Kagome. One day your feelings might change, one day you may love me. Until then, I'll protect you."

"Thank you, Kouga, but I don't need your protection any more than I need Inuyasha's protection," Kagome said coldly. "If I needed anyone's protection or help I would have stayed with Inuyasha," with that she turned and walked away. Kouga watched her go, a slight inkling as to what she was doing growing at the edge of his mind.

* * *

_AN: This chapter took longer to get up than I thought it would... I hope everyone enjoyed, if so review and let me know which parts you liked best._

_The next chapter is about half way done, so hopefully that will be up soon._


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